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This sounds awesome!

I've had many trips on the Redding to Red Bluff stretch, lots of fun water in there and excellent fishing, just make sure you have some river experience, it's mostly mellow but there are a few class I areas and maybe a class II.  Rainbows in the top section, then they fade out around Red Bluff and warm water species make up most of the catch.  In June you should find shad, stripers, smallmouth, largemouth, catfish, and crappie.  I've done a few day floats around Colusa and its an entirely different river, dirty, lots of submerged trees/snags, a far cry from the clean/cold water up here. 

Tactics wise just make sure you're on the bottom for the rainbows, drift egg patterns/nymphs if you're a fly guy, or crickets/crawlers for bait (barbless hooks above the Deschutes bridge), once below Red Bluff I'd focus on the sloughs/backwaters with standard bass gear, and soak anchovies at night while camped out.

As far as parking in Colusa i'd try Steelhead landing, that's probably your safest bet.

I fished the 5-6 miles above Colusa last spring:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=71877.msg816309#msg816309

Like Ben said, that section of river is on average 8-10 feet deep with abundant sunken trees and other snaggy junk on the bottom.  It might be getting a little late for the bigger stripers, but shad should be in full swing.  Small chartreuse curlytail grubs on 1/8 ounce leadheads can be killer on shad.  The run where Big Chico Creek dumps into the river is one of my favorite shad spots, consistently got into shad there every time I fished it in late May/early June.

I've also floated the Anderson Park to Balls Ferry stretch on a drift boat.  It looked pretty easy for a kayak, plenty of room to float around iffy-looking spots.  I've never floated through China Rapids--I've heard that stretch can be squirrely at times.  From what I've been told, the river is 40-50 feet deep there and shoots through a narrow gorge.  It's a little upstream of Red Bluff.

When do you want to park in Colusa?

You can park it in front of my house.

Approximately 40 yrs ago, I started in Colusa and headed north in my jet boat, plan was to go as far as possible then turn around, multi days planned. But sucked a rock up into the pump on day one and spent one night camping on shore before a slow (at idle) trip back down. Caught a couple of 18-20 inch stripers on light gear, that was fun,

My only piece of advice is DO NOT forget to bring a really good mosquito repellent.

I live on the Sac river and fish the stretch from Anderson to Jelly's Ferry often.

Largest steelhead I caught was on a 3" swimbait at mouth of Battle Creek. For trout I do very well on black body with yellow spots gold leaf Panther Martin, depending on flow of river sometimes I cast and sometimes I drift it behind me. I do beat up a lot of panther martins because best luck I have had is bouncing it on bottom. If casting 90% of the time they hit it when it crosses in front of them at about 45 degree angle. Small flatfish 1" to 2" silver is what a lot of the guides use for trout. Blue/silver kastmaster also does well.

Another thing that works really well is two fly set up underneath a float on spinning gear. Rubber legged bug or black/brown caddis three to four feet below float with three feet of 3X or 5X line tied to hook of rubber leg and a Glo-bug (orange) tied to that. I always add a small split shot between float and rubber legged bug and an even smaller split shot between rubber leg and glo bug. A lot less tangles with the split shot keeping the two flies separated.

Don't forget side trips into Cow Creek and Cottonwood creek for smallies, largemouth and spot, artificial's only, barbless hooks.

Look at overnighting first night at mouth of Cottonwood Creek or Barge Hole Gravel Bar although there can be some real shady people camping at the gravel bar.

Don't forget about striped bass, by that time they might be all the way up to Barge Hole, I have seen pictures of 35 lb stripers being caught in this stretch of the river.


If you want company I will be glad to float that stretch with you if timing is right and/or I will get you my phone number in case you need something while up in this area. 

Attached picture is recent from mouth of Cottonwood Creek, plenty of places to set up tent.

Ok. Hit me up whenever you decide to make the trip.